The Wave in Vejle

Lining the Vejle Fjord, and mimicking the area’s rolling hills, the Wave is an architectural embodiment of the surrounding landscape. The award-winning nine-story residential building represents a revitalization of the city’s waterfront and a new identity for the Danish town of Vejle.

Project details

Client

Bertel Nielsen A/S

Typology

Residential

Status

Completed

Our vision for the 15,000 m² housing complex, was to create a structure that would not only house people, but also connect the bay, the landscape, and the city of Vejle. With its five iconic crests rising above Vejle Fjord, the Wave now stands as an architectural tribute to the area’s heritage and geography and has become a landmark for the local community.

Following an eleven-year construction period interrupted by the global financial crisis in 2008, the residential building in Vejle, Denmark reached completion in 2018.

In its first stage – with only two blocks completed – the Wave drew international attention, receiving several awards including ‘Residential Building of the Year’ by Danish trade magazine Byggeri in 2009, the ABB LEAF Award for innovative architecture in 2012, and the prestigious Civic Trust Award in 2013 – marking the first time a Danish architect had won the award in 51 years.

Adobe Stock

“We designed the Wave as striking new presence in the Vejle skyline, one that reflects and embodies the surrounding area. We feel our design merges our own contemporary designs with a strong sense of local identity.”

Søren Øllgaard

Design Director Europe, Partner

The wave serves as a landmark in the town’s harbor, neighboring the Vejle Fjord Bridge. Video by Jacob Due, 2018

Mirroring the Danish landscape

Visible from rail, road, and sea, the five peaks of the Wave reflect the region’s hilly landscape and seafaring heritage. Designed as a sculptural housing complex, the building’s organic form and material give it a distinctive shape that changes with its surroundings. In the daytime, the building is characterized by the soft movements of the waves reflected in the fjord. At night, its unique profile appears as an undulating mountain landscape of light and color.

Originally designed as a series of five crests, the scope was reduced to two when the global financial crisis hit. The client re-initiated the project in 2014 and construction on the remaining three waves began in 2015. Lars P. Bache, 2015

Thomas Mølvig, 2009

“The land surrounding Vejle is unique for its rolling hills, which are an uncommon sight in Denmark.”

Søren Øllgaard

Design Director Europe, Partner

A local destination

Incorporating an open, public pier, the housing complex serves as both a social and residential hub. Besides offering a viewpoint to the Vejle Inlet and bridge, as well as nearby Skyttehuset garden, the Wave’s pier and waterfront promenade are also used widely as a launching point for open-water swimmers and paddlers. It’s diverse range of use and distinct style has created a new meeting place for the town and has carried an enduring presence in the revitalization of the Vejle waterfront.

Each wave crest comprises nine floors and in total, the complex comprises 100 apartments – many of which are two stories high – all featuring balconies offering views of Vejle Fjord and the Vejle Fjord Bridge. The character of the building is also reflected in the interiors, where rounded corners of the interior harmonize with the soft curves of the exterior shell.